Mud Island River Park, Memphis

Ignore the name. Mud Island, a peninsula jutting out into the Mississippi across from downtown Memphis, is far from muddy. A monorail whisks visitors over the water to the Mississippi River Museum (and it’s worth coming here just for the monorail trip alone), whose proudest exhibit is a life-sized replica of an old-fashioned steamboat. Outside is a scale model of the Mississippi River, and if you’re traveling with kids, it’s the perfect depth for wading. It empties into a miniature Gulf of Mexico, where you can rent paddle boats for an afternoon of splashing. Park in the Mud Island parking deck at Front Street and Poplar Avenue.